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Saturday, March 4, 2017

The bloggers behind two of the sites I visit (visited, more accurately) on a regular basis have died recently. They will be missed. Another favorite, Miss Cellania, has kept better track than I have - I noticed their posts about their illnesses but she has more information:

Another bright spot in the blogosphere is no more. Gerard Vlemmings of Tilburg, Netherlands, ran his blog The Presurfer for over 16 years. Less than a month ago, he stopped his daily postings due to illness, which proved to be cancer. His last post was on February 17, and a couple of days ago, his nephew Fam commented to let us know that Gerard passed away on Saturday, February 25th and his funeral service is tomorrow. I cannot find an online obituary, but that may be due to the language barrier. Gerard was 67. He will be sorely missed.

In an interview years ago, Alex Santoso of Neatorama was asked what he considered the most important blog on the internet. He replied that it was Nothing To Do With Arbroath ("of course!"). Sadly, we will no longer have that resource updated daily.

The anonymous British blogger who only went by Kev quit his daily posting on November 24 due to poor health. He was eventually hospitalized and diagnosed with cancer. His many readers and fans wanted to help in some way, but Kev always guarded his privacy, and was too proud to accept help. He never revealed where he lived, or even his last name. His last post was on January 16. About a week ago his cousin in Canada left a comment that Kev had passed away.

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.

Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.

March 5th is the anniversary of Winston Churchill's epoch-making "iron curtain" speech in 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri - the most famous acknowledgement of the existence of a "Cold War" (wiki) between Russia and the West, which put an end to the alliance that defeated the Nazis in World War II. The Cold War, which would often became quite hot in places like Korea and Vietnam - and damn near led to a nuclear exchange during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 - continued for 45 years until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Sadly, however, the freedoms regained by the nations of eastern Europe seem now to be threatened by growing authoritarianism, and under Vladimir Putin, a new Cold War may already upon us.

Churchill himself used the phrase a year before in a telegram to U.S. President Harry S. Truman, but perhaps most startling was its earliest appearance in the present context in an article by Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (wiki) (1897-1945) in the Nazi newspaper Das Reich on 23 February 1945:

"Should the German people lay down their arms, the Soviets ... would occupy all eastern and southeastern Europe, together with the greater part of the Reich. Over all this territory, which with the Soviet Union included, would be of enormous extent, an iron curtain [ein eiserner Vorhang] would at once descend."

The Charley Project profiles approximately 9,500 "cold case" missing people mainly from the United States. It does not actively investigate cases; it is merely a publicity vehicle for missing people who are often neglected by the press and forgotten all too soon. A person must have been missing for at least one year to be listed; see the FAQ for additional information on the site, its goals, and its founder/administrator.

Here's their roundup, which I'm including because it's more succinct that whet's available at Michelle Malkin's site. I can't vouch for accuracy::

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance

Missing Since March 5, 2011 from Seattle, Washington

Date of Birth: April 30, 1992

Age: 18 years old

Height and Weight: 5'5, 110 pounds

Distinguishing Characteristics: Asian female. Brown hair, brown eyes. At the time of her disappearance, Perez's hair had red highlights and was cut in an asymmetrical bob with short bangs at the time of her disappearance. She may wear green-tinted contact lenses. She has a tattoo of the phrase "lahat ay magiging maayos" (meaning "all will be well" in Tagalog) on the inside of her left arm. Perez's nicknames are Emem and Mei. She is of Filipino descent.

Medical Conditions: Perez suffers from depression and was taking medication for the condition at the time of her disappearance.

Details of Disappearance

Perez was last seen in Seattle, Washington on March 5, 2011. She left her home in the Ranier Beach area en route to the campus of the University of Washington, where she was a freshman, but she apparently never arrived there. She was last seen at the Safeway store on Brooklyn Avenue northeast in the University District between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. She bought orange juice, trash bags, Tylenol and over-the-counter sleeping medication, left the store and has never been heard from again. The last activity on her cellular phone was when a text message was sent to her at 2:45 p.m. The phone pinged off a tower at 47th Avenue Northeast at the time. After that the phone was turned off; it has never been recovered.

It's uncharacteristic of her to leave of her own accord, and she didn't leave behind a note. Her parents live in New Jersey; she is an only child and was close to them. She lived with her aunt and uncle at the time of her disappearance; she'd moved in with them when she enrolled in college. Perez had recently broken up with her boyfriend and was distressed about it, and a private investigator hired by her family believes she committed suicide, but her parents said she seemed happy in the days prior to her disappearance and they don't believe she was suicidal.

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include the history of washing machines, a roundup of recommendations for beer, wine and whiskey pairings to drink with Girl Scout cookies, why some animals kill each other after sex, and Dr. Seuss's little-known book of nudes.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include 17th century competitive eating, that time Christopher Columbus tricked Jamaicans using knowledge of an upcoming lunar eclipse, where nature is most likely to kill you, how long it would take for a single person to fill up an entire swimming pool with their own saliva, and video of a group of tigers ripping a drone out of the sky then trying to eat it.

Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) (wiki), better known as "Dr. Seuss" was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Here's the story of one of his lesser-known masterpieces; I think that Ladies Godiva, rather than Lady Godivas, is probably grammatically correct, but what the heck.

Originally published in 1939, this revisionist farce attempts to rectify the “shameful” story of “a big blond nude trotting around the town on a horse” and Peeping Tom, the “illicit snooper.” The frothy, historical romp presents seven Lady Godivas (Ladies Godiva?) whose father, the Lord of Coventry, is thrown from a horse and killed. The noble daughters vow to postpone their marriages to the seven Peeping brothers until they discover “some new and worthy Horse Truth, of benefit to man.” This gives Seuss the opportunity to contrive the origins of such wisdoms as, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.”

Wrote the author in the preface:

A beautiful story of love, honor and scientific achievement has too long been gathering dust in the archives.

The book, however, was a complete flop. Ten thousand copies were printed on the first run, and only about 2,500 were sold. The Seven Lady Godivas eventually went out of print, causing Geisel to later say:

I attempted to draw the sexiest babes I could, but they came out looking absurd.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

At a Siberian tiger enclosure in China, a group of tigers (the collective noun (more here) for a group of tigers actually is ambush) attacked a drone being used by China Central Television (CCTV) to get some aerial footage of the Siberian tigers romping in the snow.

Not only did the animals swipe the drone out of the sky, but they also took a few bites of it before deciding that it wasn't particularly tasty.

Monday, February 27, 2017

This clip of Sir Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman on The Graham Norton Show is a hoot. Stewart, who's 76 years old, has gone his entire life thinking that he was circumcised - when his wife (who apparently, unlike Stewart, had paid attention to more than one penis in her life) told him that he was not. He checked with his doctor:

“She said, ‘You’re not circumcised.’ I said, ‘What do you mean? You’ve only known me a few years.’ All my life, I remember my mother telling me why. Because it was fashionable at the time. She said, ‘You’re not circumcised.’ I said, ‘That’s ridiculous! I should know if I’m circumcised. Of course I am! End of conversation.’ But the next day, I happened to be seeing my doctor… for my annual physical. So while he was down there, I said, ‘Oh by the way my wife and I had a little disagreement. I am circumcised, aren’t I? Because she says I’m not.’ And he goes, ‘Not!’ I said, ‘No! That’s impossible.’ So he looked down again and he said, ‘Hey I’m Jewish, I know the difference.'”

It's Girl Scout cookie time again - I always associate them with the beginning of Lent, when I' m contemplating giving up chocolate. Below, by cookie type, are wine pairing recommendations from Wine Club Reviews and Ratings and beer pairing recommendations from Beer and Brewing. Further below, an infographic with suggested whiskey pairings:

Thin Mints

Wine: There are two types of Thin Mints made today, but both combine a wafer, chocolate, and peppermint flavoring. To truly experience the mint & chocolate combination, however, don’t reach for the milk – try a Syrah instead.

Beer: These dark and roasty stouts deliver a mouthfeel that pairs well with the crisp, minty crunch of the wafer cookie (especially if you keep your Thin Mints in the freezer). Consider yourself warned, though, as these beers range from 9—13 percent ABV and you’ll likely find yourself reaching for a second sleeve of cookies in record time.

Perennial Artisan Ales 17

Alesmith Speedway Stout

Shipyard Mint Chocolate Stout

Epic Big Bad Baptist

Hardywood Sidamo Coffee Stout

Samoas (Caramel deLites)

Wine: Banyuls is a red dessert wine from Southwestern France, which pairs amazingly with the dark chocolate stripes on Samoas. For a Plan B, pick up a Port.

Beers: Match the toasted coconut of these cookies with even more toasted coconut and the roasted caramel flavors in these beers:

Creature Comforts Koko Buni

Oskar Blues Death By Coconut

Bruery Mash & Coconut

Funky Buddha Last Snow

Wormtown Norm Chocolate Coconut Stout

Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties)

Wine: You’re going to see a trend here: when the cookie has chocolate, grab a bottle of red wine. Tagalongs are no different – find a fruity red wine such as Beaujolais or Zinfandel.

Beer: The vanilla, chocolate, and peanut butter flavors from the Tagalongs sound like adjuncts in a stout. So grab these flavor-filled stouts to heighten the insanity of this pairing.

Wine: Light and refreshing, a Trefoil shortbread should be paired with Pinot Noir or even Sparkling wine if the mood is right.

Beer: Stick with tradition by pairing these classic cookies with traditional beer styles such as Baltic porter’s cheek-warming notes of dark fruits and coffee or a Scottish ale with notes of cocoa and coffee and a dash of smoke.

Smuttynose Baltic Porter

Founders Dirty Bastard

Jack’s Abby Framinghammer

Central Waters Brewer’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale

Oskar Blues Old Chub

Lemonades

Wine: When snacking on these shortbread cookies with lemon-flavored icing, grab a buttery Chardonnay like the 2009 Cambria Chardonnay from Uncorked Ventures.

Beer: The shortbread texture of the cookies and lemon flavors in the icing make an excellent contrasting duo for these citrusy IPAs.

Beer: These shortbread cookies have had one side dunked in chocolate fudge. Keep the two-faced theme going by pairing with a contrasting beer such as these imperial IPAs:

Odell Myrcenary

Bell’s Hopslam

Firestone Walker Double Jack

Or reinforce the cookie flavors with the roasted goodness and creamy mouthfeel of these milk stouts:

Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout

4 Hands Chocolate Milk Stout

Savannah Smiles:

Wine: These are a lemon-based cookie similar to the Lemonades but covered with powered sugar. Try a Pinot Grigio/Gris.

Beer: Push aside that lemon wedge you occasionally put in your beer and, if you must add a wedge, consider accenting your beer with the Savannah Smile instead. The lemon-flavored cookie wedges have been dusted with powdered sugar and pair well with these witbiers and bières de miel.

Allagash White

Westbrook White Thai

Jester King's Bière de Miel

Casey East Bank

Brasserie Dupont Bière De Miel Biologique

Cranberry Citrus Crisps

Wine: Both sweet and tangy because of the cranberry, a good match for these would be a Viognier or the more popular Riesling.

Beer: Try these bières de garde for toffee notes and a subtle spice from farmhouse ale yeast that plays off nicely with the cranberry inundated cookies. Make sure to let these beers warm up a little for maximum intensity.